Candy Apple Red
by LadyDevine
Summary: What will Sarah do when her step-mother wishes her away and two dwarves have plans to play match maker? Read and you shall see...
1. Part One

Disclaimer: Not mine...  
  
A/N: Just something I have been working on, if you enjoy this then  
  
I will continue... Woo oh. Maria isn't meant to annoy anyone, she is based on a character played in a LARP game that was devious and cool, and funny as hell.  
  
Please leave contributions in the review box, whether you like it or not.  
  
Thanks. LD  
  
P.S. If anyone has the proper spelling for Spanish naughty words, or has some that I don't know of (which is anyone that has not been used) please please please put them in the review box for me... I need more!  
  
  
  
Candy Apple Red  
  
By Lady Devine  
  
Part 1: Denial  
  
Chapter 1: What did I ever do...  
  
  
  
"What did I ever do to deserve you!" Karen yelled up the stairs. She couldn't believe that this teenage girl could be such a hassle. Girls were supposed to be easier then boys, smarter, more mature, and cleaner but for some reason Sarah refused to do as she should. No matter what  
  
Karen did. She hadn't tried bribery yet, but it was the last thing on her list.  
  
"Why don't you just wish me away then!" Sarah cried back down the stairs. She didn't mean it she realized, but she had defeated Jareth, so even if Karen did someone find out what the words were and send her away he couldn't actually take her away... could he?  
  
She stomped into her room and plopped down on her bed. It was nearly nine and Dad would be back soon, she had to get dressed anyway, and she didn't feel like talking to Ludo or Hoggle or Didymus. The guys were great, but sometimes she needed to work things out for herself, one wonderful thing she had learned in her trip through the Labyrinth.  
  
Karen stood at the bottom of the stairs and contemplated sending her step- daughter away. It wouldn't be so horrible, there'd be more chores but not that many more. It would be mostly quiet in the house. Karen giggled, "I wish the Goblins would take you away, right now."  
  
Lightening flashed, and the rumble of thunder nearly shattered every window in the Williams home.  
  
Toby began to cry.  
  
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Karen Williams ran up the stairs, the house had gone dark suddenly, it hadn't even been cloudy outside when Sarah had come home late. Daniel was away on business and Karen was suddenly very frightened. She had been upset with him lately, she was positive he was having an affair with his new secretary. The last time they had gone out had been two years ago, and everything in her life became strange after that.  
  
Sarah and Toby were suddenly getting along, but Daniel was being distant. She went into Toby's bedroom and picked him up, and hesitated from going into Sarah's with out knocking, but she had too, she had to make sure the girl was okay.  
  
The door swung open easily and Karen started, the room was empty, except for Sarah's vanity, clear of mess, there were no picture's there but there hadn't been in nearly two years. "Oh, what have I done?"  
  
"You wished your step daughter away, Karen. Away to the Goblins where she would no longer be a thorn in your side." Jareth smiled a toothy grin. "You are a beautiful woman, Karen, and you are young, you are far to young to have a seventeen year old daughter that won't help you. You have dreams that you still want to reach. I can give you those dreams. Simply forget about Sarah and everything you want will be yours." He tilted his head and waved a crystal in front of her face,  
  
Toby reached for it but she pulled him back gently.  
  
"I can't..." she said softly. Her dreams were flashing in that crystal, not dreams that a mother of two could grasp at.  
  
"She'll be well taken care of, Karen. You need never worry about her again. Forget about her. Daniel will, and then you and Toby and Daniel can live in peace and quiet. No crying teenage girl to disturb you."  
  
Karen reached out with her free hand the crystal was hypnotic. It's colors swirling surreally. "She'll be okay, there, in your castle. No one will hurt her, she will just be gone. As if she was still with her mother..." Karen's hand touched the crystal and it disappeared in a flash of sparkles.  
  
"Very Good, Karen, now, go to your room, and put Toby in his pen, then finish your chores. Your husband will be home soon, with wonderful news." Jareth smiled his cruel grin again and watched her walk out of the room, a dazed look on her face and slowly close the door.  
  
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Chapter 2: Stages  
  
Sarah refused to open her eyes. She felt as if someone had hit her with a truck. Her muscles ached, no, they were screaming at her, and her head felt like it was in a vice. "Owie," she whimpered when she tried to open her eyes.  
  
"Oh, dear me. I didn't even think that you would have a headache. I'm sorry, dear, let me get those candles out of here." The voice was of an old woman, thin and shaky, there was a hustle of noise and then silence.  
  
She opened a single eye and it protested her brain agreeing that a total shut down was far more appetizing then dealing with light currently.  
  
From what she could see she was in a large bedroom. Slowly she attempted the other eye and found that the room was quite beautifully decorated. There were huge colorful tapestries hung on each wall, and the bed that she was laying in was some wood that she couldn't describe. It looked like mahogany but was far darker. "Where am I?" She whispered through her headache.  
  
"You're safe now, darling. That mean woman can never hurt you again." The voice was now connected to a heavy set, white heard woman with large compassionate eyes.  
  
"Mean woman?" she rubbed her temples and rolled on to her stomach to keep the light out. "Karen's not so bad. She just doesn't like me very much."  
  
"Oh," the woman said, sitting down next to her. "The King said that she wished you away. Here, drink this, it should sooth your aches."  
  
"Wished me away?" She was growing more and more confused.  
  
"Yes, dear. She wished you away. To the castle beyond the Goblin City." She fed a bowl of chicken broth tasting a bit woody. "He brought you here and you didn't take to the trip very well. You really were to old to be wished away anyway."  
  
Sarah felt the tension from her aching muscle ebb away like the tide, and suddenly her brain connected everything that had been said in the last few minutes. "Oh my God! Karen wished me away!"  
  
"That is what I just said." The woman smiled sadly at the girl. She was quite pretty, Sally understood why Jareth had loved the girl for so long. Even if the girl wasn't very bright.  
  
"I know, I guess I just didn't connect someone wishing me away and Karen and being in the Labyrinth. Oh no, is he going to turn me into a goblin?"  
  
"A goblin? Where ever did you get that idea?"  
  
"Well, he said he would make Toby one of them forever. I just assumed."  
  
"Hmmm, well, that's assumptions for you. No, he isn't going to make you a goblin I really don't know what he has in store for you." The woman smiled and patted her hand, "Anyway, he wants to see you girl, dinner is about ready and you need to get dressed. There, through that door is a tub and some toiletries, use what you need, this will be your room from now on. Oh, if you need me just ring."  
  
"Okay, oh... What is your name? Wait a minute? From now on? Isn't she trying to run the Labyrinth to save me? Has she already failed!?"  
  
"She didn't even try, dear. I'm Mrs. Kellerman, but you can call me Sally, I'm the house keeper here."  
  
"I didn't see you the last time I was here." She was choking back tears.  
  
"Well, I don't usually meet the guests." She laughed at Sarah's confused look and walked out of the room.  
  
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Sarah found the bathroom easily. The room was incredible. The tile was sea green, the "tub" was pool sized and Sarah decided that she should go for a swim. She found a cabinet of bath salts, shampoo and conditioner and found that she felt even better after a good scrub. It took her only a few minutes to find a big fluffy towel and dried her long brown hair and body easily.  
  
A tortoise shell comb was on a vanity with cosmetics and perfumes. "Well, I've certainly been provided for haven't I?" She said softly.  
  
The reality of the situation had not quite hit Sarah yet, she brushed her hair, put a bit of lipstick on and dressed in a pale yellow dress that was hung artfully in the wardrobe. She felt lovely, the corset built into the dress fit wonderfully, and gave her much more cleavage then should be allowed in a seventeen year old.  
  
She stood looking into a full-length mirror at her loveliness. She was particularly impressed with the French twist she had managed. She had wanted to talk to Jareth for a few years now and this was the perfect opportunity. "Good thing Karen wished me away or I'd have never seen him again..." Sarah paused, she looked at her self once more and frowned. Karen had really wished her away.  
  
Tears spilled over her lashed like a waterfall. She was sobbing, loud gut wrenching sobs that she hadn't let out since she was a small girl. She fell into a puddle of buttercup colored folds.  
  
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Chapter 3: Some Things Never Change  
  
Sally Kellerman walked into the room with a sour expression. She had told the girl to hurry, and of course, because she was a teenage girl she was taking her sweet time. It was five minutes until dinner was served and she had still hadn't come out of the room. King Jareth was going to be mad.  
  
The old woman was confronted with a sobbing seventeen-year-old. "Oh, Sarah! What is the matter girl?"  
  
"That horrible, terrible, no good, bad cooking, horrible fashion sense having woman wished me away! I knew she didn't like me, but I didn't think she would ever actually wish me away! I mean, things have been so much better between us since I came home from the labyrinth the first time." She was wailing and Sally could barely understand her.  
  
"You are going to have to calm down, Sarah. This isn't the most terrible thing that could happen. I mean, I am sure that Jareth isn't going to make you guard the Bog or anything too bad," Sally cringed as a fresh fall of tears came on. Sally had boys, she was as adept at taking care of girls as a monkey was taking care of a giraffe.  
  
"Oh, come now. You have your friends here, and I am sure that Jareth will lend you a crystal to see how Toby is getting on."  
  
"That's not it," she wailed. "I like it here, it's interesting, but I can't believe that she actually wished me away!"  
  
"Sarah, you wished your brother away. You were frustrated and tired, maybe Karen was too."  
  
"But I was just a kid! I didn't know any better!"  
  
"Karen is just a woman, who didn't know any better. Now, you have to meet his Highness for dinner. Come now, go wash your face and we will get going. You're going to be late, but I think he may understand."  
  
She sniffled and nodded. "Fine." She got up and went back into the bathroom, washed her face, reapplied her make up and came out feeling a little better.  
  
Sally smiled and led the girl to the dinning room.  
  
---------------  
  
Jareth anxiously awaited her arrival. She had been in his castle for twelve hours. Her trip through the void had been difficult for her, she was far to old to have been wished away, but she had been, and he had done his job and brought her to his castle. It was just an added bonus that she was beautiful and intelligent and intrigued him. He also may admit to anyone other then himself that he was madly in love with her for some reason.  
  
That confused him. He had loved so few women during his reign, woman more beautiful, more mature, more defiant, but never had they had the interesting mix of all three of the qualities that he found attractive in such abundance.  
  
The door opened apprehensively and admitted a vision in buttercup yellow. She swore a silver chain that accented the cleavage that the dress accentuated so well. Her hair was up in a French twist that made her lovely jaw line stand out. Jareth wondered how long he could stand being close to her with out having her for his own. _As long as I need  
  
to. If I do anything forward Sally will have my head!_ Her eyes were puffy, he wondered if she had been crying. _Of course she's been crying she's probably completely miserable here._ He frowned.  
  
"I apologize for being tardy, your Highness." She said quietly. God, he looked as incredible as she remembered, she wondered if she would ever have the chance to be in his arms again. _Oh my God, what is wrong with me! He stole my brother... Well, not really, but still, he wouldn't give him back when I asked..._ Her train of thought was derailed when stood and showed her to her seat. His hand leading her by the elbow, like a proper gentleman. She nearly swooned.  
  
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Chapter 4: Conspiracy...  
  
"All I want in life is a purple hoopty with my name in stickers on the back," the girl stood a good six inches taller then the dwarf that was attempting to talk to her.  
  
"But... But... Don't you want a family?" Hoggle just didn't understand her, she was beautiful, the most beautiful dwarf he had ever met, she was smart and sweet and incredibly difficult to convince.  
  
"Eventually yes, cause God said we should be fruitful and multiply, but  
  
I have stuff I gotta do first, Hoggle." She flipped her long braid over her shoulder and frowned at him. He was really a great man, and would make a wonderful husband one-day, but right now things were too hectic her job at the castle had become far more interesting now that Lady Sarah was there. She was prone to throwing things and Jareth was running around the place like any minute his world would come crashing down. Maria giggled internally at the thought. He was acting like a teenager, walking on egg shells, trying to look, smell and sound his best Evil Kingly Goblin way. Maria thought it was pretty hot, but Sarah was just getting more and more aggravated with him. "Okay, Hoggle lets make a deal. You want to marry me, but I don't feel right about getting married before his Highness. So, you help me get those two puta's together and we can get married."  
  
"Great... Now how's about 'a kiss?"  
  
"No hanky panky till I got a white picket fence and a purple hoopty!"  
  
She announced, "but, I think a little one wouldn't hurt." She leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss on his overlarge nose. "Now, we gotta plan out how Jareth can keep from being a stupido pendeho and Sarah a selfish whiney brat... "  
  
Hoggle nearly said something, but rethought it. Sarah wouldn't ever know that he'd agreed with Maria, so it didn't matter. "Something about her makes him like her though, so what are we gonna do?"  
  
"I have the perfect plan. Now, this is what we gotta do..."  
  
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	2. Part Two

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. Sara Smiles is a song by the talented and wonderful Hall and Oates, blame them... Oh yeah. Maria is mine (she would have to be).  
  
AN: From the reviews it looks like everyone is enjoying the story... Good, I am glad... I don't write just to waste my precious free time... :) I am really not sure what a Hoopty is... I guess it's the cars that are lowered to the ground with lots of bass and the jumpy shocks. Think Cheech and Chong... The character Maria is not meant to offend, but rather as a character to double as my comic relief and Sarah's champion... Which she is shown as later in this part.  
  
She is supposed to a ""stereotypical" Mexican female"... as portrayed by Pablo Francisco on this "Knee to the Groin" CD. He is very funny!  
  
Or as Hellen said she is way ghetto… There should be Latino's… I mean, they have David Bowie… If we went my world populations he should be Chinese… * shrug * Maria's story is a strange one, but it will be revealed shortly I promise!  
  
Sorry it was all screwed up before but this is the whole part… Thanks all!  
  
Candy Apple Red  
  
by Lady Devine  
  
Part 2: Acceptance  
  
Chapter 5: A Little Time.  
  
Moonlight was streaming through a window, surrounding Sarah in a pool of soft white light. She had been sitting in the same position for some time. She was not normally a contemplative person, but at dinner, alone in her room with only Sir Didymus she came to realize that she had been a total fool.  
  
_I thought he said it because he wanted me to forget the words_ She thought. It had been two years but the words that he had said burned bright in her mind. Like a spotlight in an oubliette, almost blinding her with its clarity.  
  
_Love me, fear me, do as I say, and I will be your slave._  
  
He had looked innocent for the first time in the thirteen hours that she had known him. Looked as if the only thing he wanted was for her to want him, but she had too much to loose. She had risked too much already to let his words touch her heart. If he had been still playing her game it would have meant the end of her world, but she had been playing his and it had nearly meant the end of his.  
  
  
  
_I didn't know._  
  
Oh, that's a bunch of crap and you know it, Sarah.  
  
_I was fifteen, I didn't know what love was, or that people don't always show it like they do in the movies._  
  
You knew enough to feel guilty about it, didn't you? You knew enough to dream about dancing with him again. You knew enough to write in your diary the words that you couldn't say to him.  
  
The conversation with her conscious was going badly. Sarah 0, Conscious 3. It was true. She had known, but she had been afraid. She had braved the Bog, the Monster at the Gates, the Esher room, and somehow for the first time in her life she had been unable to conquer her fear and listen to her heart.  
  
_Things are not always what they seem in this place_ the little worm had told her. He was right.  
  
Jareth was more then what he seemed, a powerful Fairy Tale King, but also a person, full of the same yearning and needs that anyone had. He had needed her, and she didn't see it. He had offered her the world, and she had over analyzed the situation until he was once again a villain. She had forsaken a man that loved her for a child that didn't appreciate it and a Stepmother that wished her away. "This totally sucks." she said simply.  
  
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Chapter 6: Maria Helps.  
  
  
  
Jareth looked up and blinked. Before him, in his massive throne room, usually full of stinking goblins, telling jokes and throwing things was a girl. Well, it was a dwarf. The female was actually quite attractive, for a dwarf, and he wasn't surprised that Hoggle liked her as much as he did. Her long braid was over her shoulder and she was tugging on the black hair nervously.  
  
He vaguely remembered that she worked in the castle, but the majority of the creatures in the Labyrinth that could cook, dust at least look busy worked in the castle. Everything was done, whether by goblin, dwarf, fairy or rock caller under the supervision of Sally, and he vaguely remembered Maria being a friend of Sally's.  
  
"What can I do to help you, Marsha?"  
  
"It's Maria." She said.  
  
"Ah, Maria... What do you want?" He was instantly annoyed with the pretty little dwarf, at least she didn't have a beard like most dwarven females. It was a tad disconcerting to have a chambermaid that has a fuller beard then you do.  
  
"Well, I got picked by everybody to tell you that Sarah has to stop throwing stuff around. We lost two sweepers and a duster in the last week cause of her stray vases and rocks and stuff." The dwarf just looked at the king. No one had quit, but maybe it would make them talk. It had been almost a week since they had even spoken and it was all to quiet in the castle for most, even the Goblins were being quiet.  
  
"I will speak with her, Maria."  
  
The female dwarf smiled at her King. He was a man, therefor he was dense and had to be directed on the way to win a woman's heart. "You know, I was thinking that if you were just a 'lil nicer to her she would calm right down. Maybe she is lonely, or scared or something. You know?"  
  
"You are dismissed, Marta." He said, an annoyed look plainly on his face.  
  
Maria shrugged and left the room, if he wanted to be dense then that was just the way it was, and she had no idea why she cared whether or not he and Sarah got together, but she did rather like Sarah. Maybe Hoggle was having better luck.  
  
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Chapter 7: Hoggle Helps.  
  
There was a pounding at her bedroom door. Sarah looked up from her thoughts and sighed. She stood, the moonlight streaming down, making her entire body glow and walked to the door. Candles lit as she walked an interesting bit of magic that Jareth showed her after she arrived. Of course, they had spoken in a week and she had been in the Labyrinth for nearly a month. _He must be so angry at me_ she thought sadly.  
  
She was halfway to the door when it opened slowly and a large head at hip height peeked in. "Sarah?"  
  
"Oh, hi, Hoggle." She said unenthusiastic. She wondered back to her place why the window and sat down on the large silk pillow. She looked out the window with her chin in her hands, sighing low.  
  
"Hey, little lady, what'cha doing?"  
  
Sarah turned back to him, "Sulking." she said simply, with a little bit to much joviality then was intended.  
  
Hoggle looked decidedly uncomfortable for a moment. "Why?"  
  
She smiled at him, wondering if he would take what she had to say seriously or laugh at her like any sane person would. "Oh, I have a couple of reasons. I forfeited a chance to be a Queen, or at least a consort to the most amazingly attractive man in the universe to save my bratty half brother only to be wished away my his evil mother. Now, I am in his castle, all his, completely under his control and he doesn't even speak to me." She let out a long dramatic sigh.  
  
Hoggle looked bewildered. "I thought you hated him?"  
  
"Hate? No, that's a strong word. I despised him, because I hadn't known what was going on. I had no idea that he loved me. I thought that he was still playing the game, and now... two years later he wants nothing to do with me. I thought true love was supposed to conquer all."  
  
Poor Hoggle was taking the brunt of her annoyance with herself. It wasn't his fault that she had expected him to be the Great Evil Goblin King. A villain, not a lover, a careless man that gave no thought to anyone but his own twisted game. Poor Hoggle was taking the brunt of many things these days. Even Jareth hadn't picked on him in days, something was terribly wrong with these people. "It is." He said quietly, thinking of Maria. It was Sarah's encouragement that got him to speak with her in the first place. He owed her a lot, but he was trying to help. "Maybe you should talk to him, I mean, you don't know for sure that he doesn't still feel the same."  
  
She smiled at her friend. "You're right. I have no idea whether or not he still loves me, and the worst thing that could happen is that he rejects me and sends me to the Bog for my silliness." She thought on that for a moment. "Well, if he doesn't love me then I don't need to smell good anyway!"  
  
Sarah stood from her cushions and kissed Hoggle on the top of the head. "Thank you Hoggle!" she marched out of the room with a determined jut to her chin.  
  
She had been gone for only a few minutes when she returned. "Umm... Do you know where he is?"  
  
"Try the throne room girl." Hoggle shook his head and laughed as she turned on her heel and headed off again.  
  
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Chapter 8: Into the Throne Room  
  
The castle was unusually silent, even for nighttime. She looked at a clock on the hallway as she passed and noticed that it was only nine o'clock by her world's standards. There should be Goblins everywhere. She sighed and plunged on. The castle was large and it took her nearly ten minutes to make it to the Esher room, where it took another ten minutes to navigate. She had been so busy with her determination to get to the throne room she didn't hear the music playing, or the voice singing to it, until she was nearly there.  
  
Baby hair with a woman's eyes  
  
I can feel you watching in the night  
  
All alone with me and we're waiting for the sunlight  
  
When I feel cold you warm me  
  
When I feel I can't go on you come and hold me  
  
It's you... And me forever  
  
Sara Smile  
  
Won't you smile a while for me  
  
She paused in the stair well, and sat down on, her dress pooling around her. He had such a beautiful voice. She closed her eyes and listened.  
  
If you feel like leaving you know you can go  
  
But why don't you stay until tomorrow?  
  
And if you want to be free, all you have to do is say so  
  
When you feel cold, I'll warm you  
  
And when you feel you can't go on, I'll come and hold you  
  
It's you... And me forever  
  
Sara Smile  
  
Won't you smile a while for me.  
  
Her heart caught in her throat at the words. So full of emotion. She knew that his Sarah was she, and as hindsight is always 20/20 she knew that she had been very sad the entire time she had been there. Whether it had been because Karen had wished her away or because she thought that he didn't love her anymore, she suddenly knew that her tears and sulking had hurt him. _Oh, Jareth, don't you understand I don't want to go! I never meant to hurt you._  
  
She slipped back up the stairs and then waited for the music to stop it took her a few minutes to compose herself and decide what she was going to say. She was suddenly very scared that he would reject her, not because she feared the bog, but because she may never love another. _I guess that is the way it's supposed to be._  
  
She walked into the throne room and was completely shocked by what she saw...  
  
Jareth was kissing another woman.  
  
Sarah let out a scream of pain and rage, turned on her heel and ran like hell.  
  
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Chapter 9: Maria goes Bat poop...  
  
"Sarah..." he called after her.  
  
The woman beside him was still clinging to him, he roughly pushed her away from her, and down to the floor she collapsed, like a delicate, bleached flower.  
  
The woman sat on the floor pouting watching him run off. "Damn you Jareth!" she screamed in anger. He was hers! It was destined! There was nothing that some little chit of a mortal could do to steal her crown or her man, or at least that was what she previously thought.  
  
Miranda Bordevelli had come into the throne room to find him singing about that chit just a few moments ago and decided to make him forget the girl. "Stupid men and their emotions. Doesn't he realize that I will be much better for him! At least I have never humiliated him! I will let him win at whatever games he wants to if I can only win at one." She stood and smoothed the fabric of her skirt, not that there was much of it, but she couldn't be seen looking messy.  
  
Hoggle peaked into the room, Maria beside him. "Hey Puta! You better leave Jareth alone or I'll kick your stupid blond ass!" Maria yelled. Hoggle's eyes widened to the point where they looked as if they were going to pop out.  
  
"No, Maria, hush. That's Lady Bordevelli!"  
  
"I don't care who the tonta is! She isn't going to mess with Lady Sarah or I'll kick her ass!"  
  
"Oh, it's Maria... The cute dwarf!" Miranda laughed heartily.  
  
"Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me like you know me?" Maria lunged, but poor Hoggle caught her by the skirts and was holding her back barely.  
  
"Maria, do you really think that you could handle me... I would just step on you, little bug!"  
  
Maria began to spit out a torrent of Spanish. There were words in there that was making Hoggle blush, and Miranda just looked amused. Had she known the vile things that Maria was announcing about her she may have slunk off to the abyss that she crawled out of. "If you touch King Jareth again unless Lady Sarah has thrown him aside I will take you by your stupido blond hair and swing you around like a Barbie! Do you hear me puta!" Maria lunged one last time, and once again, poor Hoggle was the unfortunate in the matter.  
  
Her skirt ripped slightly, and Hoggle was forced to let go or loose his fingers.  
  
For a dwarf Maria moved quickly. Launching herself at Miranda in a dwarven bullet kind of way. She ran into the woman head first knocking her down. Maria rolled and landed on the woman's stomach and she began to pelt the woman with her small fists.  
  
It took Hoggle a while to pull Maria from the larger Fae. He wasn't trying to hard, but he had to at least make it look like someone was in charge. "Maria, come on, she isn't worth the Bog. She isn't worth it."  
  
"I will have your head Maria!" The blond woman screamed. Maria hadn't prepared her for the attack, but she was making sure to stay far away from her.  
  
"Shut up or I will kick your ass again!"  
  
Jareth had been completely forgotten by both women, and Hoggle was just worried about that the King may hurt himself laughing.  
  
Hoggle wondered what had possessed Jareth to let that woman anywhere near him in the first place. She was nothing but high paid hooker anyway. Going from one lord or royal to the other trying to get a semblance of power. It was silly that he even let her near the castle, let along kiss her, but with Sarah being all distant lately perhaps he was just lonely. Even at his lowest times Jareth had been a paragon of virtue, but perhaps having the woman he loved shun him over and over again while in his castle, under his control had driven him to her arms.  
  
Hoggle shuddered. Miranda was just plain nasty.  
  
Had they come in a few seconds early they would have heard the song that Jareth was singing about his beloved and the dwarves would have felt much better. Unfortunately their timing was off, and all they saw was a kiss and Sarah running off with Jareth on her heels.  
  
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Chapter 10: Stubborn Woman, Stubborn Man.  
  
Jareth chased her old fashioned style. By foot. She was running, and continued to run until she felt as if her lungs would burst and then continued for a while longer. Eventually he would tire and she could get herself good and lost in the castle or the Labyrinth and never have to speak with him again. Or at least that was what she was hoping for.  
  
After what felt like a hundred years Sarah slowed and clutched at her chest. Her mouth was dry and her heart was racing, she was hyperventilating. Jareth hyperventilated along with her. _Damn human's _ he thought as he grasped for air. "What the hell is wrong with you!" He asked when he could speak again.  
  
"Wrong... with... me?" She said through gasps. "Wrong with me! You were the one kissing some blond floozy!" Sarah slumped against the stone wall nearest her and continue to wheeze for a few seconds longer.  
  
"I don't see why you would care whether or not I am kissing a floozy or not." He moved closer to her, pinning her to the wall. God, he was so close she could smell him, a mix of musk and leather.  
  
"I..." she paused. She couldn't remember exactly what she had been planning to talk to him about when she had seen the shocking scene. He did look more then happy with his hands gripping her arms and her hands roaming over his back and buttocks. "I guess there isn't a reason why I should." She looked down, her eyes wondering over his boots and his pants to his knees. She sucked on her lip for a moment, wondering what exactly to say.  
  
"There is no reason, but you were upset, why is that, sweet Sarah."  
  
"I..." she paused again. She couldn't think strait with him so close to her. Goodness he was good looking. His thin lips in a smirk, his cold eyes boring into her skull like twin drills. She looked into his face, defiance emanating from her body. "Why did you follow me if you didn't think I should care?"  
  
"You can't ask me a question in response to a question!"  
  
"I don't see why not. You have done it I am sure... It's aggravating so you are probably a master of the art!" She spat.  
  
He sighed low and long, then moved closer to her, she could feel his body heat pressing against her. "Sarah, if you were jealous of Miranda you have no reason too be. I feel nothing for her, she is a gold digging whore that has been trying to be the Goblin Queen, as long as the Queen of anything else possible for the last two hundred years. She kissed me, and I was trying to push her away when you came in. If you had been in the room less then five minutes before you would have heard me singing about you. She was jealous and tried to seduce me with little success."  
  
She looked up at him, and frowned. There was something wrong with this situation. "Well, you could have teleported away or something." She said pouting.  
  
Jareth smiled at her, she was so beautiful, she had always been, but as she grew her woman hood was shinning through, she was still much a child though.  
  
A woman child. Just like in his song. He wanted to kiss her, to teleport them to his room and prove to her that she was still and had always been the only thing in his heart, but there would be a time for that. Now, he had to keep control of himself. She was his, under his control, he was her king now. He had time to make her love him. Karen had wished her away and she was all his, but there was something there in her eyes that he had to wait for. She was venerable and he didn't want to take advantage, as nice as it would be.  
  
"Sarah, I will not argue about whom I decide to kiss, and whom I decide not to kiss. Who is in my bed should be none of your concern. Unless there is something you aren't telling me about?" That was a cute tatic, trying to draw her out while she was angry.  
  
No, that would be wrong of him. It wouldn't be fair. He hated that. Fair. What was fair? Nothing, but he wanted to be fair with Sarah, he wanted her to love him not loath him, and perhaps playing her game agian wasn't so bad.  
  
"There's nothing. It was just shocking." She managed to say with out the tears that were collecting in her eyes falling. She closed her eyes and allowed the tears to fall. When she opened them, through the blur she saw that he was gone.  
  
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End file.
